Posts Categorized in "Uncategorized"

Cami and Kate, two fourth graders, walked into Raphael House one evening laughing and holding a small white envelope. They happily explained that they recently held a lemonade stand and wanted to donate all of their profits to helping families at Raphael House. The girls had sold cookies along with the lemonade and raised about $40. The two friends said they knew they wanted to donate the money they made at the lemonade stand to a homeless shelter because they see a lot of homeless people on their street and often times the same people day-to-day.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Haight earlier this month for an engaging and educational discussion around homelessness in our community. The discussion was organized in anticipation of the SF Homeless Project media blitz this week, during which local media outlets have saturated the news with stories about homelessness in San Francisco in order to increase awareness and inspire citywide action toward workable solutions. The event took place at The Booksmith, and the panel included Raphael House executive director Ralph Payton, Sam Dodge from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of HOPE, Mary Howe from Homeless Youth Alliance, Captain John Sanford from the Park Station Police Department, and representatives from Taking it to…

We are thrilled to report that our 19th Annual One Home, Many Hearts Gala, “A Golden Tomorrow,” raised more than $643,000—making it Raphael House’s highest grossing fundraiser to date! The event, which took place on Saturday, May 14 at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel, was co-chaired by Josselyn Eccleston and Laura Larsen, and was our largest Gala to date with 570 guests in attendance. We are truly grateful to and inspired by the outpouring of generosity from everyone who attended and participated in this important event to help families who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness achieve long-term stability and financial independence.

Homeless, but not hopeless. This is Jaime’s favorite phrase, and with good reason. As I meet Jaime I’m quickly struck by his determination, strength and eloquence; it’s a humble reminder that homelessness does not define who you are. Jaime speaks to me about his struggle to heal the wounds of domestic violence and to overcome homelessness. Where he once grappled with the stigma of being a male victim of domestic violence, he now states that with the help of Raphael House he feels empowered and is filled with hope for a better future for himself and his three-year-old son Mateo.

When Jaime came to Raphael House he lacked the support of friends and family, many of whom could…

Raphael House Board of Directors, donors, volunteers, and staff came together in early April to celebrate the opening of the Fr. David and Elaine Lowell Children’s Library at Raphael House. The construction for the Children’s Library was completed thanks to HomeAid Northern California and XL Construction who generously donated the materials and services for the project. They also donated the materials and services for some much-needed updates to the Ella Rigney Library, which included custom-made shelving and a media center to be used for Board presentations and family movie nights.

The new library will help foster a love of reading, education, and imagination, all core components in Raphael House’s…

Since joining the Raphael House team in December, I have been consistently impressed with the level of commitment and passion shown by the staff, our Board, and the thousands of supporters in the community who make the work we do possible. I’m exceedingly grateful to lead an organization that shares my conviction that it is our responsibility to help those most vulnerable among us.

As the housing market in the Bay Area continues to explode, barriers to achieving stable housing have never been greater for low-income families. According to the housing data website rentjungle.com, the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco is…

Almost a decade ago, Marla came to Raphael House with her one-year-old daughter Kayla after gaining the courage to leave an abusive relationship. We welcomed Marla and her daughter with a safe place to stay, but equally as important, Raphael House partnered with Marla as she worked to rebuild her life by giving her the tools and support to achieve financial independence and a safe and stable home for Kayla. With one-on-one support from her case manager, Marla created an action plan toward self-sufficiency that included her long-term goals of building a career in project management and one day owning her…

One Saturday a month, Raphael House hosts a birthday party for the children in the Bridge Program who have birthdays during that month. Families gather in celebration to eat delicious food, play games, and open presents. Children of Shelters has been generous in providing the cakes, cupcakes, and decorations for the birthday parties. And recently Facebook, who also sponsored families for our Adopt-a-Family program in December, has generously donated several of the toys from our wishlist that are given to the kids as gifts.

These images were taken at the January Bridge Program birthday celebration. The kids had a blast playing twister and Foosball with their friends and family. The piñata and…

Posted February 05, 2016 by Raphael House. Categorized as Uncategorized.

Mom writes thank you note to the donor who adopted her family this Christmas.

Tis the season for acts of kindness and generosity. And that is just what our community of donors and volunteers showed to Raphael House families this holiday season. This year 236 families, our largest number ever, had presents to open on Christmas Day thanks to everyone who participated in our Adopt-a-Family program. Families were adopted by 75 individuals and by employees from approximately 60 different Bay Area companies. More than 30 volunteers helped out with collecting, sorting, and distributing the gifts to families.

“As a privately-funded nonprofit, Raphael House depends solely upon the support it receives from the community to provide families with the resources they need to achieve stable housing and financial independence,” says Raphael House’s director of development Jenna Ervice. “But we also depend upon the community for these special touches—the in-kind donations and day-to-day support of our partners and volunteers—that provide the warm and dignified…